Doug Polk loses bid for second poker room in Texas

The Farmers Branch City Council rejected his request in a meeting Tuesday night

Doug Polk’s bid to open a second poker room in Farmers Branch, Texas, was denied by the City Council in a public hearing last night. Polk, who owns the Lodge Card House in Austin, was looking to open the largest card room in the state in the Dallas suburb. 

Poker rooms in the Lone Star State charge players membership fees instead of collecting rake, making them legal to operate. However, many communities are still opposed to card rooms, particularly in the Dallas area. Yesterday’s council meeting addressed the subject of whether to allow them in Farmers Branch. 

Public comments were heard from both sides of the debate in the five-hour council meeting before members voted 4-1 against the proposal. Council members also told Polk that he could resubmit his request. 

Polk took his turn on the podium to give his passionate view on the matter, implying that opposition to the new card room is an attack on poker players. “There are card players all over your city today,” said Polk, “so I want to dispel the idea that this is somehow eroding the fabric of the community.”

He added, “This attack on poker players in general like they are bad people. I’ll tell you what, some of the best people I have met in my life are poker players. I started my career with ten dollars, and I turned it into millions of dollars by becoming one of the best in the world. And poker gave me that opportunity, and I’m tired of people attacking poker players like they’re some kind of lowlifes.”